Yamaha Motor to Stop Building ROVs at Georgia Plant, Adopt OEM Supply Model

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) announced on August 4, 2026 that it will implement sweeping structural reforms to its Outdoor Land Vehicle (OLV) business. The company will discontinue in-house production of recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) at Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC) in Georgia, U.S.A., and move to a collaborative business model based on OEM supply through partner companies. The management resources freed up will be reallocated to its all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and golf car businesses, with the goal of raising profitability across the entire OLV business. Yamaha says it will retain a presence in the ROV space while strengthening its offerings in the larger utility segment, maintaining its multi-product strategy for North America.

In ATVs, Yamaha will leverage its strengths in product development, internal combustion engine technologies, and an established sales network to improve competitiveness and profitability, focusing on sport and premium models. In golf cars, it will enhance product competitiveness to match increasingly diverse U.S. applications and expand its business foundations through stronger customer touchpoints and service capabilities. The company says these moves will help it raise sales across its entire product range.

The one-time expenses of approximately 12.0 billion yen in fiscal 2026 include costs from workforce optimizations, extra sales promotion expenses tied to ending the in-house production model, inventory disposal and supplier-related costs, and impairment losses. By steadily implementing the reforms, Yamaha says it will build a foundation for stable, sustainable earnings over the medium to long term, including the previously announced move of U.S. headquarters functions to Kennesaw, Georgia, and continue raising its global and U.S. market presence while enhancing corporate value.